Baroque Art (Dutch)
By the 17th century, the cultural era known as the Renaissance, which had swept southern and western Europe the centuries before, had all but faded. In its spot was supplanted a new cultural movement; one highlighted by exuberant and dramatic art and music. This was the Baroque Era. While the Renaissance Age had been centred primarily in the Italian Peninsula and the various states that made it up, the Baroque Era emerged out of northern Europe: the Germanic kingdoms. Chief among these states was the Dutch Republic: a relatively new yet emerging sovereignty to the northwest of modern Germany. The Dutch Republic, more commonly known as the Netherlands, reached its golden age in the 17th century, following the close of the Thirty Years War (ended 1648) and would host some of the greatest artists of the Baroque Era. The Dutch Baroque Movements can be characterised by five distinct Dutch artists of the 1600s: Rembrandt, Hals, Rubens, Ruisdael, and Vermeer. Rembrandt Rembrandt van Rijn, more commonly known simply as "Rembrandt", is considered by many to be the father of Baroque painting, and even one of the greatest modern artists in history. Happily married and coming from a middle-class family, Rembrandt took on painting at an extremely young age (he first picked up a brush when he was four), and was thus considered a child prodigy. With no official education in art or painting, that did not stop Rembrandt. He first moved to The Hague, then later Amsterdam, where he became very successful in selling his masterpieces. During this time, the Dutch Republic had reached its height politically, militarily, financially, and culturally. They had launched the age of imperialism by being one of the first European powers to colonise India and southeast Asia; their then-experimental republican government, as opposed to the traditional European monarchy, had been highly successful; due to heavy trading and a healthy market, poverty had reached an all-time low in Europe; advancements in education and technology had made the Dutch forerunners in the fields of medicine, architecture, and of course, art. The art movement, a vital part of Dutch culture even till this day, had all been headlined by Rembrandt. Perhaps Rembrandt is best known for his unique style of lighting. His subtle use of an external light source gives his painting a somewhat ominous feel, but the expressions of the subjects of the painting, in an unexplainable fashion, give the painting more life. Rembrandt's subjects of painting include landscapes, portraitures, Biblical and mythological scenes, and several self-portraits. Rembrandt_Christ_in_the_Storm_on_the_Lake_of_Galilee.jpg|''Christ in the Storm on the Lake of Galilee''. Perhaps his only seascape, this climatic Biblical scene is a dramatic example of Rembrandt's use of light. Rembrandt_Harmensz._van_Rijn_-_The_Abduction_of_Europa_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg|''The Abduction of Europa''. One of Rembrandt's best known paintings depicting a classic story from Greek mythology. Rembrandt_van_Rijn_-_Self-Portrait_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg|''Self-Portrait''. One of his many self-portraits; note the dark, consecutive use of colours and light. The_Nightwatch_by_Rembrandt.jpg|''The Night Watch''. Rembrandt's most popular painting, depicting a militia company in Amsterdam; also a key example of his use of lighting. 576px-Rembrandt_Harmensz._van_Rijn_013.jpg|''Aristotle Contemplating a Bust of Homer''. A beautiful reminder for one to always hold an appreciation for the classics and the masters before us. Rembrandt Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp.jpg|''The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp''. Depiction of a real-life Amsterdam event in which Rembrandt is paying homage to the Dutch's growing medical scene. Frans Hals Though born twenty years before Rembrandt, Hals would gain popularity around the same time, and was another leading figure in the Dutch art scene. An avid poet and philosopher as well as a painter, Hals pulls most of his influences from his mentor, the 16th century Flemish painter Karel van Mander. Born in Antwerp to a merchant family, Hals and his family soon fled to Amsterdam during the Spanish-Austrian invasion of Flanders. In Amsterdam, Hals studied under Mander, and first pursued painting. He soon married to Dutch native Anneke Hermansz. Together, they had five sons, all of whom would also go on to be successful painters of the Dutch golden age. Hals is best known, perhaps, for his innovative style of quick brushstrokes, which created a loosely-fixed combination of lines and strokes that were calming to the human eye. Most of his subjects were common, every-day people of Amsterdam, as well as wedding scenes and, like Rembrandt, several self-portraits. Hals_-_Self-Portrait_copy.jpg|''Self-Portrait''. Hals's best known self-portrait, finely exhibiting his famous "loose-brushstrokes" technique. 800px-Frans_Hals_-_Regents_of_the_St_Elizabeth_Hospital_of_Haarlem_-_WGA11139.jpg|''Regents of the St Elizabeth Hospital of Haarlem''. Hals's most well-known piece, in which his rare subject is that of aristocracy rather than that of the working class. 531px-Frans_Hals_-_Luitspelende_nar.jpg|''Jester with a Lute''. Well-known piece likely inspired by a jovial bar-scene; notice the exuberant clothing and contrasting background colours. 800px-Frans_Hals_-_Banket_van_de_officieren_van_de_Sint-Joris-Doelen.jpg|''The Banquet of the Officers of the St George Militia Company''. One of Hals's earliest break-through paintings, depicting a feast of many emotions and gestures. Frans_Hals_-_Portret_van_René_Descartes.jpg|''Portrait of René Descartes''. An avid lover of philosophy himself, Hals chose Descartes, a prominent figure in the philosophical enlightenment era, as his subject. 421px-Frans_Hals_-_Three_Children_with_a_Goat_Cart_-_WGA11064.jpg|''Three Children and a Goat''. Moody yet buoyant piece depicting the typical children of Amsterdam. Rubens Though technically of Flemish heritage and not Dutch, Peter Paul Rubens is a major contributor to the Northern Baroque Movement. Born in Siegen, a German city then part of Westphalia, Rubens's father was an advisor (and lover) of Anna of Saxony, the wife of William of Orange. After the affair between the two was discovered, Rubens and his family fled for Antwerp, in the Spanish Netherlands. It was there, surrounded by the emerging art scene, that Rubens took up art. Rubens enjoyed slight success in Antwerp, before taking a slight tenure to study art in Italy. There, he was influenced by the legendary works of Michelangelo, Raphael, da Vinci, Titian, and Tintoretto. He even briefly studied under the most reknowned southern Baroque artists, Caravaggio. His time in Italy would definitely influence his artistic style back in the Netherlands. In addition to being a forerunning artist of the Baroque period, Rubens also entered the field of politics, and worked as an ambassador for the Spanish Hapsburg monarchs. With a strong Catholic background, many of Ruben's paintings include Biblical and allegorical pieces, as well as landscapes, portraits, and historical scenes. His style is notable for his emphasis on colour and movement, as well as a sensual feel. 419px-Rubens_lerma.jpg|''Equestrian Portrait of the Duke of Lerma''. One of Rubens's commissioned portraits, this is a prime example of his use of vibrant, vivid colouring and light. 439px-Rubens_Self-portrait_1623.jpg|''Self-Portrait''. Simple in form yet complex in detail, Rubens is somewhat of a traditionalist, as opposed to the innovative techniques of the other Baroque artists. 465px-Peter_Paul_Rubens_004.jpg|''The Fall of Man''. Elegant depiction of the classic story of Adam and Eve. 800px-Peter_Paul_Rubens_060.jpg|''The Château de Steen with Hunter''. One of Rubens's key landscape portraits, likely of his childhood home in Germany. Rubens_Venus_at_a_Mirror_c1615.jpg|''Venus at the Mirrour''. Rubens was highly controversial at his time for his depictions of nude women in paintings; something that was frowned upon by the Church. 768px-Peter_Paul_Rubens_Massacre_of_the_Innocents.jpg|''Massacre of the Innocents''. Eccentric and brutal painting that perfectly captures the frantic energy and lusty ebullience Rubens was known for. Category:Art Category:Baroque Category:17th Century